1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cutters and cutting inserts used thereon, and in particular to a cutter system that includes a cutter body with tangentially-mounted, indexable, helical cutting inserts with multiple cutting edges.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, the use of an indexable insert is not the first choice for small machine tools because the spindles on such small machines produce relatively lower horsepower and torque than larger machine tools. Because current cutting insert designs need more power to cut effectively, small machine tools are typically relegated to using solid end mill cutters and shell end mill cutters. However, solid end mill cutters and shell end mill cutters wear as they lose diameter, and if broken, can be entirely scraped. In addition, the limited size of the cutters that can be used with indexable insert designs may result in a loss of productivity.
The inventor of the present invention has recognized these and other problems associated with end mill cutters, such as solid end mill cutters and shell end mill cutters, which utilize a helical cutting edge geometry.